This Dendrochilum has been collected from Benguet Province on Mount Natoo, Mount Pulog, Mount Simakoko, Mount Polis and Mount Boadan. The plant grows in mossy forest; a specimen was collected in oak forest.

The Plants Description

The pseudobulbs cluster on a short rhizome.The pseudobulbs are shaped fusiform to ellipsoid. The pseudobulbs measure 0.3-3.5cm long and 0.2-0.6cm in diameter. The leaves are petiolate; the petiole measures 0.2-1.6cm long. The leaf blade is shaped linear-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic. The leaf blade measures 1.7-10.3cm long and 0.5-1.4cm wide.

The Inflorescence

The peduncle measures 2.5-12.5cm long and the rachis measures 2.5-7cm long. The rachis is nodding to pendent and more or less flexuose. The flowers are spaced 3.0-5.0mm apart. The flowers open from the proximal section of the rachis.

The Flowers

Between 5 and 14 flowers grow on an inflorescence (Pedersen 1997). The flower colour is red to pale brown, dark reddish brown and rarely white. The dorsal sepal is shaped elliptic-oblong with an obtuse apex. The dorsal sepal measures 5.3-7.7mm long and 2.4-3.9mm wide. The dorsal sepal is 3-veined and has entire margins.The lateral sepals are shaped obliquely ovate and have obtuse apices. The lateral sepals measure 5.3-7.7mm long and 2.8-4.5mm wide. The lateral sepals are 3-4 veined and have entire margins. The petals are shaped elliptic-obovate to broadly obovate and have obtuse, sometimes mucronate apices. The petals measure 4.9-7.1 mm long and 2.7-4.4mm wide. The petals are 3-veined and have entire to minutely erose margins. The labellum is porrect, obscurely 3-veined and 3-lobed. The labellum measures 2.1-3.3mm long and 4.6-6.1mm wide. The side-lobes are erect, shaped acuminate-caudate and exceed the mid lobe. The mid-lobe is 3-5 dentate. There are two crescent shaped calli located on the lateral nerves, the calli are slightly hooded. The column is suberect, slightly incurved and measures 1.9-2.5mm long. The anther cap is elliptic from its upper view and obtuse to rounded from the front.

Flowering plants have been collected in the wild from June to October and during December.

Culture

I do not think this species is in cultivation

Similar Species

Dendrochilum anfractum var anfractum

Dendrochilum apiculatum

Other Information

This species differs from Dendrochilum anfractum var anfractum by the measurements of the labellum, the slightly hooded calli and a mid-lobe that is 3-5 dentate. Dendrochilum anfractum var anfractum has lateral calli that is more or less pyramidal and mid-lobe that is truncate-rounded and apiculate.

Ames described this plant as Dendrochilum anfractoides and wrote that it was allied to Dendrochilum anfractum. Ames wrote that differed by the length of the peduncle the leaves and a rachis that zig-zags. Ames wrote that the labellum is less rounded and tridentate at the apex of the mid-lobe. Ames finally wrote that the calli were different, as mentioned above.

At the time that Ames described Dendrochilum anfractoides the species was only known by 1 specimen that had 6 leaves and 2 inflorescences.

There are many plants and photos labelled as Dendrochilum anfractum on the internet, nurseries, show tables etc. These photos and plants are all Dendrochilum cootesii. As far as I am aware there are no plants of Dendrochilum anfractum in cultivation and no photos of a living plant are in existence.